Free Republic

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday advanced the nomination of Donald Trump's former personal lawyer to be a federal appeals court judge over protests from Democrats, who accuse him of using aggressive tactics to enforce the U.S. president's agenda at the Justice Department. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the nomination of Emil Bove for a lifetime appointment on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sending the nomination to the full Senate. Bove currently serves as a top Justice Department official. The hearing devolved into partisan rancor when the panel's Republican chairman,...

On December 30, 2024, a stunning event captured the attention of both locals and space experts when a massive metal ring crashed from the sky into a Kenyan village southeast of Nairobi. The 2.5-meter diameter object, weighing approximately 500 kilograms, landed in a field without causing injuries but immediately sparked widespread curiosity and concern about space debris falling to Earth. The mysterious metal ring and its identification As New Year celebrations approached, villagers witnessed the extraordinary sight of a half-tonne metallic object plummeting from above. Local authorities quickly secured the area to prevent public access while experts were called in...

According to a new Instacart report, 63% of shoppers spell it “sherbet,” while 37% prefer “sherbert.” But which one is correct? -Instacart data shows that 63% of users searched for “sherbet” while 37% used the alternate spelling “sherbert.” -The spelling “sherbert” isn’t technically wrong — both forms have historical roots dating back to Arabic, Turkish, and Persian. -English speakers have long used both versions, with “sherbert” sticking around due to its phonetic appeal and cultural persistence. The sweltering, sweaty dog days of summer are here, which means there's only one thing to do: Eat as many cold treats as possible,...

Russia’s banks are reportedly seeking to arrange bailouts from Moscow as borrowers struggle to repay loans across the war-battered economy. At least three of the country’s biggest banks are investigating the possibility of a state rescue, according to Bloomberg News, in the latest sign the nation is struggling under the pressure of its invasion of Ukraine. Officials are said to have ordered banks to avoid disclosing the full level of bad loans and instead to restructure their books to present a healthier image. But this tactic may be nearing the end of the road, requiring support from Moscow. Russia’s economy...

A mother’s chili secret has gone viral in a TikTok video that has some loving the added ingredient while others are in disbelief. The video was posted by the Hnieno Fam, a family-oriented TikTok account centered on a London mother and a father of two. Jade Hnieno, the mom of the family, shared the video last month, revealing the mysterious addition: a square of dark chocolate added directly to the pot. “Secret ingredient to make the best chili,” she captioned the video.

As survival rates declined, excess cardiac arrest deaths nearly erased two decades of progress in lives saved.A new JAMA Cardiology study by McBride et al confirms what emergency physicians in King County, WA, have long hoped: survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has steadily improved for two decades. From 2001 to 2020, survival to hospital discharge rose from 14.7% to 18.9%, with even greater gains for shockable rhythms—from 35% to 47.5%. This reflected massive regional investments in CPR training, AED access, EMS optimization, and post-arrest care. Twenty Years of Progress. One Year to Reverse It. In our 2024 study,...

The United States has unveiled its own low-cost combat drone, designed to rival Iran’s widely used Shahed-136 loitering munition, in a push to expand affordable airpower options for modern battlefields. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday reviewed the new Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) during a display of multi-domain autonomous systems in the Pentagon courtyard. The system, developed by Arizona-based defense contractor SpektreWorks, is aimed at delivering a flexible, attritable platform that can support distributed operations across the Indo-Pacific. SpektreWorks described LUCAS as “a reliable and cost-effective Group 3 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) designed to perform in austere...

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner has died in a paragliding crash in Italy. The Austrian sportsman, 56, reportedly lost control of his aircraft on Thursday at around 4pm in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Marche. Italian local media has reported the dare-devil crashed into the pool of the Le Mimose campsite after feeling unwell before taking off. A woman was also left injured in the incident after being struck by Baumgartner as he plummeted to the ground. She was taken to Murri Hospital, but her condition is not serious, according to initial reports. Baumgartner had taken off from Fermo, but while flying over the...

At least two dead in Israeli destruction of Catholic Church in Gaza: Enough - UpdatedThe Cross still stands, after an Israeli attack causes grave damage on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza:(Image source: @catholicsat on Twitter)At least two of our fellow Catholic sisters in Gaza have been killed, and many are injured, including the Parish Priest. In declarations to Vatican News, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, said the following: “What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the...

In my car today and Freddie Mercury’s “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS” came on. Without a doubt, could have been written for the future Donald Trump and MAGA. I can just see Trump walking on stage with Freddy belting this out. A few excerpts:

Alcohol may have done more than just fuel celebrations in ancient societies. A study led by Václav Hrnčíř from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology suggests that indigenous fermented drinks helped ancient societies grow in size and complexity. The study, published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, draws a link between alcohol and the rise of structured governance. Researchers analyzed data from 186 traditional societies worldwide. They found that communities producing their own alcoholic drinks, like fruit wines or cereal beers, often showed higher levels of political organization. The team focused on societies that existed before industrialization and widespread...

Space agency is looking for alternative ideas that can be incorporated into the design of the next iteration of SPEED flight vehicles. ================================================================ NASA is asking the public to help it with the design of an ejector system in its SPEED system. Image courtesy of NASA. ============================================================= July 16 (UPI) -- Dreaming of designing part of a rocket for NASA? The space organization is offering a challenge for those who think they can solve a capability gap in its Stratospheric Projectile Entry Experiment on Dynamics (SPEED), a two-stage stratospheric drop test architecture. SPEED is under development to bridge the state-of-the-art...

Did you know that Coldplay’s current live show has a whole kiss-cam segment, like an NBA game? During Coldplay’s live show, stadium screens apparently show unsuspecting couples in the crowd, and then Chris Martin urges them to kiss. I didn’t know that. Neither, apparently, did Andy Byron, CEO of the tech platform Astronomer, which is reportedly valued at $1.3 billion. At a recent Coldplay gig in Boston, Coldplay’s kiss-cam caught Byron all snuggled up with a woman who is not his wife, and that video quickly went viral. Earlier this week, Coldplay ployed a pair of shows at Foxborough’s Gillette...

When famed pirates overtook a Portuguese ship in 1721 once laden with treasure (now valued over $138 million), the battle went well for the pirates, who eventually sank the ship off the coast of Madagascar. A pair of American archaeologists now claim they’ve discovered the final site of the lost vessel. Known as the Nossa Senhora do Cabo—translated as Our Lady of the Cape—the ship left India with a Portuguese viceroy and the Archbishop of Goa, 200 slaves, and treasure aplenty. Pirates were ready and Olivier “The Buzzard” Levasseur led an ambush of the ship near Reunion Island in the...

An overturned truck spilled its load of milk into a road in New York's Columbia County. Photo courtesy of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office/Facebook July 15 (UPI) -- A tractor-trailer hauling a load of milk overturned in New York's Columbia County, resulting in what the local sheriff's office described as a "significant spill." Columbia County Sheriff Donald J. Krapf said in a social media post that investigators are probing the cause of the single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Gahbauer Road and State Route 217 in Claverack. "The tractor-trailer, which was hauling milk, overturned on its side, resulting in a...

The “Cola Wars” has apparently hit the White House. President Donald Trump said he suggested to Coca-Cola to change its formula use real cane sugar in Coke in the U.S. However, the company is mum so far, per the Associated Press. Other markets, such as Mexico and Australia, use real cane sugar. The U.S. production uses high-fructose corn syrup. “I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on social media. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This...

British Locals Protest Housing of Migrants [LIVE Coverage]

“The employment of individuals under the age of 21 in the cannabis industry is strictly illegal, a serious matter, and is not tolerated,” the statement said. “We encourage anyone with information about child labor or trafficking at any facility to immediately contact the Department.” Glass House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. But in a statement posted to X last week, the company said it “does not and has never employed minors.” Federal officials raided the company’s operations in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against undocumented immigrants in...

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (Photo:Jordan Conradson/TGP) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed President Trump’s swollen legs and hand bruises on Thursday with an update from the President’s physician. “the President remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here,” she told reporters. In recent days, it was noticed that the President had bruising and other markings on the back of his hand and swollen ankles. This led to mass speculation, especially from the left, that President Trump was suffering from edema and a life-threatening heart condition. Photos:

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday confirmed he's seriously considering two options to try to redraw California's congressional districts to get more Democrats elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The update comes after President Donald Trump earlier this week urged Republican state lawmakers in Texas to help the party pick up five seats in that state. Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the state Legislature to discuss redistricting in an upcoming special legislative session. Unlike Texas, the California Legislature does not draw district maps. Every 10 years, the state's independent redistricting commission undertakes the work through a lengthy, citizen-led process. Voters...